None of it is pretty. He thinks Michael Gove would "go to war with at least three countries at once" if he became Prime Minister, that Andrea Leadsom has been saying some "extremely stupid things" - and, to top it all off, he described Theresa May as “a bloody difficult woman.”

By going on to compare May to Margaret Thatcher – a woman who was so 'bloody difficult' that she earned the label of 'Iron Lady' – Clarke all but confirmed that his views on the current home secretary hang on the fact of her sex.

After all, how many male politicians would he describe as ‘bloody difficult’? Surely he wouldn’t expect Cameron, or Gove, to smile sweetly and acquiesce? Presumably, he’d even go so far as to suggest that a man of May’s standing, CV and character had all the necessary qualities for leadership.

By 'bloody difficult' he presumably meant that May possess the traits many of us now recognise as essential in the workplace: strength, assertiveness, not being afraid to challenge others when necessary, being unapologetic and - most importantly - getting things done, no matter what.

Clarke has just added a new entry to the list with his ‘bloody difficult woman’ jibe. But it all comes down to the same thing – in 2016, some people still struggle with the idea of a strong, successful woman.

No wonder so many British women have jumped on the Twitter hashtag #bloodydifficultwoman to out themselves as exactly that, in defence of May.